Asymmetry and shape in leaf blade red clover

Abstract

The plastic variability, shape and asymmetry of the leaf plates of meadow clover (Trifolium pratense L) depending on various doses of fertilizer and soil cultivation methods were studied. A correlation between the index of plastic variability and the value fluctuating asymmetry was obtained (r = 0.23-0.63; p <0.05). Using the geometric morphometrics, the presence of directional asymmetry was confirmed, and a highly statistically significant variation in the shape of the sheet plate was obtained. In only one sample, a pure fluctuating asymmetry was obtained; in remain cases - a mixture of two types of asymmetry. The authors explain the effect of the declining developmental stability by a low dose of fertilizer, as well as a crop rotation scheme with a relatively low content of trace elements in the soil. A high dole of directional asymmetry verified the influence of genotypic variation on the asymmetry and shape of leaf blade and, therefore, a high dependence of phenotypic variation on the genotype.